From Kane to Lawler: Wrestling and politics mix just fine in Tennessee

On Tuesday night, WWE superstar Glenn Jacobs aka Kane won the Republican primary for mayor of Knox County, Tennessee by just 17 votes. According to the official results, the 51-year-old defeated Knox County Commissioner Brad Anders 14,633 to 14,616. Earlier this year, Jacobs, who made his debut with the WWE back in 1992, said he will quit wrestling if elected mayor of Knox County. He is currently favored to win the general election against Democrat Linda Haney in August.
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Glenn Jacobs works the room during his election watch party on May 1.(Photo: Saul Young, Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel)

Story Highlights

Glenn 'Kane' Jacobs and Jerry Lawler are wrestlers who have dabbled in Tennessee politics

They join a long list of wrestlers nationally to try their hand at politics

Professional wrestling and politics aren't the strange bedfellows some might think.

In fact, pro wrestlers have become increasingly cozy with politics — from Jesse Ventura's successful political career in Minnesota to Glenn "Kane" Jacobs' successful run for the Knox County Republican mayoral nomination this week in East Tennessee to Jerry Lawler's two runs for mayor of Memphis.

Lawler made his first run at the top job in Memphis against incumbent Willie Herenton in 1999, when Herenton was seeking a third term. Lawler's campaign was marred by an arrest over an incident with a parking enforcement officer at Memphis International Airport.

Mqy 23, 2015 - (left) Jerry "The King" Lawler headlines the Roundhouse Revival event on Saturday with a wrestling match against the Coliseum Crushers to raise support and awareness of the Mid-South Coliseum. During the arena's heyday, Monday nights in Memphis were known for professional wrestling matches at Coliseum.(Photo: Kyle Kurlick)

Lawler allegedly ran over the officer's foot — he denied it — following an argument over a parking ticket. He was indicted for reckless endangerment, pleaded guilty and paid a $25 fine.

In the election, Herenton won his third term. Lawler, with 11.7 percent of the vote, finished third behind Joe Ford, who was City Council chairman at the time.

Lawler made a second bid in a 2009 special election after Herenton, by then in his fifth term, resigned to run for Congress. Then-Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton won the special election, with Lawler finishing fifth in a crowded field.

During a video appeal to voters in the 2009 campaign, Lawler said his biggest hurdle was getting people to take his campaign seriously.

"This is a serious campaign," Lawler said. "It's not a publicity stunt."

Ventura, the wrestler-turned-politician who has achieved the most success, served as Minnesota governor from 1999 to 2003, and as mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, before that.

In Knox County, Jacobs — a WWE wrestler who goes by the name Kane — narrowly defeated a county commissioner and a third candidate to win the GOP nomination for county mayor Tuesday. He'll face a Democratic challenger in August, and he is the favorite in the Republican county.

June 17, 2016 - Jerry Lawler reacts to questions from the media after his release from jail following his arrest for domestic assault. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal) Stan Carroll, The Commercial Appeal

Comic performance artist Andy Kaufman during a bout with Jerry Lawler at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis April 5, 1982. Lawler played himself in Man in the Moon, a movie featuring Jim Carrey as Kaufman, which was released in late 1999. Kaufman died in 1984 at the age of 35. (By Thomas Busler / The Commercial Appeal)

Jerry 'The King' Lawler thought he'd seen and done it all in his thirty-plus years in pro wrestling. Then we called him with the chance to play celebrity photographer for a day. Once on the set in Chicago, we had to help The King off the mat after he caught a glimpse of his model for the day, majestic Cyber Girl Wendy Culp. No credit

Mon., 5 Apr. 99 (lmking1) Photo by Lance Murphey - THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING -- Amidst a wave of fans and well wishers, Jerry 'King' Lawler takes the stage at the New Daisy Theatre last Friday for a match against The Fabulous Ones. The ever popular Lawler is considering a run for mayor of the city of Memphis. The Commercial Appeal

December 2, 2011 - Profile on wrestler Jerry Lawler the artist. He has done cover programs for wrestling brochures, artwork all kinds of drawings and paintings. Lawler seen reflected in one of his Superman paintings. (Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal)

September 3, 2015 - In a classic Memphis move, Jerry "The King" Lawler sponsors a wrestling event on Beale Street during the grand opening of his new restaurant. At 3pm -- the equivalent of a Memphis high noon -- wrestling fans gathered around a makeshift ring in the middle of Beale to watch some wrestling greats like Lawler, Bill "Superstar" Dundee, and Koko "Birdman" B. Ware. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) Jim Weber, Jim Weber

Memphis Wrestling will begin at 8 p.m. Friday at Sam-s Town in Tunica. The show will include World Wrestling Entertainment stars Boogeyman and Lil- Boogey. A recent matchup featured Jerry -The King- Lawler (left) and -Masterpiece- Chris Masters. No credit

Jerry 'The King' Lawler with Skylan Turnbow, left, who dressed as Karkat from 'Homestruck,' and Amelia Brittain, who dressed as Aladia from 'Karkat' at the Memphis Comic and Fantasy Convention at the Hilton. No credit

Dave Brown, shown here during his days as a wrestling announcer, has announced his retirement as a long standing weatherman for Channel 5. Shown are Dave Brown in middle, wrestler Jerry Lawler on right, and Lawler's manager, the late Sam Bass, on left. The photo was shot about 1976. No credit

Mqy 23, 2015 - (left) Jerry 'The King' Lawler headlines the Roundhouse Revival event on Saturday with a wrestling match against the Coliseum Crushers to raise support and awareness of the Mid-South Coliseum. During the arena's heyday, Monday nights in Memphis were known for professional wrestling matches at Coliseum. No credit

December 2, 2011 - Jerry Lawler is an avid collector of art and artifacts. Lawler says his new wrestling-themed establishment, King Jerry Lawler's Hall of Fame Bar & Grille, is slated to open before May at 159 Beale. (Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal)

December 11, 2015 - '90 Pound Weakling and the Ballad of Jerry Lawler,' is part of Frank Bruno's extensive record collection in his home. Bruno aspires to own a copy of every single record ever produced in Memphis. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal)

September 3, 2015 - Jerry "The King" Lawlershakes off a beatdown by Doug Gilbert on Beale Street during the grand opening of Lawler's new restaurant. At 3pm -- the equivalent of a Memphis high noon -- wrestling fans gathered around a makeshift ring in the middle of Beale to watch some wrestling greats like Lawler, Bill "Superstar" Dundee, and Koko "Birdman" B. Ware. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)
Jim Weber, Jim Weber

Other professional wrestlers or people involved in wrestling, according to whatculture.com, who have dabbled in politics — some successfully, some not — include:

Antonio Inoki: A WWE Hall of Famer who was elected to office in Japan.

Linda McMahon: The former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment and wife of current CEO Vince McMahon, she ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut.

Bob Backlund: He ran for Congress in Connecticut in 2000 as a Republican, but lost to the Democratic incumbent.

Nikolai Volkoff: The Croatian-born Yugoslav who portrayed a Lithuanian denouncing the Soviet Union, Volkoff ran unsuccessfully for a Republican state delegate position in Maryland in 2006.

Ludwig Borga: The late WWF (before it became WWE) Finnish wrestler spent seven years in Parliament in his native Finland before dying from suicide in 2010.

Rick Steiner: The WWF/WWE wrestler is a school board member in Cherokee County, Georgia.

Brian Blair: He ran unsuccessfully for county commission in Hillsborough, Florida, in 2002. In 2004, he tried again and won a county commission seat. He held it one term before losing four years later.

Rhyno: His real name is Terrance Gerin, and he lost a bid for the Michigan legislature in 2016.